News

Community gears up for big Tuesday BRAC meeting
By Celeste Calvitto, Journal Staff Writer

Black Hills businesses and organizations are gearing up to send delegations to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission regional hearing on Tuesday to show support for Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Whether sending as few as two people or as many as 200, representatives of groups who responded to a Rapid City Journal request for information about what they are planning for the BRAC meeting said they want to do whatever they can. They will be attending the hearing, gathering along the route to be taken by the motorcade transporting three BRAC commissioners, or both.

Rapid City Regional Hospital is encouraging all nonclinical employees to attend the hearing, chief executive Tim Sughrue said.

"Since the potential closing of Ellsworth Air Force Base could have a major negative impact on the individuals in our community, we want to be very visible in our support of the base," Sughrue, a colonel and commander in the U.S. Army Reserve, said. "Our goal is to have 400 of our employees attend this important hearing."

Great Western Bank group president Lloyd Sohl said the bank will have a contingent at the hearing.

"Ellsworth plays a big part in the local and state economy, and the service members on the base enhance the quality of life for residents of the Black Hills by bringing perspectives from different parts of the country," Sohl said. "With security concerns at the national level, I personally feel proud that we have a military installation in South Dakota. And with Ellsworth being here for 63 years and the potential that it may leave, we had better take notice."

Mary Ann Pembroke, vice president of human resources for Assurant insurance company in downtown Rapid City, said the company plans to send at least 50 employees to the hearing.

"We will go down to bare bones, as long as the phones are answered. We want to do this in support of the community," Pembroke said. "We have to make the case that in a strategic alliance, we shouldn't put our eggs in one basket."

"We are going to get as many people as possible, and keep one or two people here for customers," Alan Sewell, owner of the Little Print Shop, said. "This is important to Rapid City." Sewell is also a charter member of the Exchange Club, which plans to display 40 to 50 flags along the motorcade route.

Dr. James King, a Rapid City optometrist, said two of the three people in his office will attend, with the other staying behind to answer the phones. "We feel that Ellsworth Air Force Base is important not only for our national security, but for our local and state economy," he said. "We appreciate their involvement in our churches and community, and the community would feel the loss."

Dean Kurtz Construction Co. will close at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and send all of its employees to the BRAC hearing. The company is providing a crane to raise a huge American flag provided by McKie Ford, and it has had patriotic T-shirts made for employees to wear to the hearing.

"Hopefully, the community will respond in a huge way," company president Brad Kurtz said.

Grelind Printing plans to close at noon and send six people to the hearing. "We know that even for small businesses, there is an economic impact," owner Linda Peterson said. "I don't know how much we can do to replace that in this part of America."

Jan Kirsch from Pennington Title Co. said eight people plan to attend from its office. "We want to support the base," she said.

"Ellsworth is important to the economy of Rapid City," Sam Benne of First American Title said. "They've been a good supporter of our community forever, and we want to support them."

"I think there will be 20 from our company," Gail Briesemeister of Northwestern Engineering/NWE Management Co. said. "This impacts everyone for various reasons."

Two Northern Hills chambers of commerce - Spearfish and Belle Fourche - are among those that are urging their members to travel to Rapid City for the hearing.

"We want to show the solidarity of our communities in the Black Hills," Lisa Langer, executive director of the Spearfish Chamber of Commerce, said. "It is extremely important to the entire Black Hills community. We are a small region, and we all need to help each other."

Black Hills Workshop "is encouraging as many of our staff, and those we serve who are able, to attend on Tuesday," Dorothy Rosby, community relations director, said. "Black Hills Workshop serves more than 550 individuals with disabilities, 110 of whom are employed on one of the six contracts we have at Ellsworth through BH Services, the company that oversees the contracts. BH Services employs about an additional approximately 50 non-disabled employees who provide employment support ranging from supervision to transportation to these 110 individuals," Rosby said. "The potential impact of Ellsworth's closing is major to us and to the people with disabilities we serve, so we want to be very visible in our support of Ellsworth Air Force Base."

"I plan on having all of the 24 folks from our Training Systems Support Center and the Flight Training Center at Ellsworth attend the BRAC conference," said Bruce Johnson, B-1B Lancer bomber training systems site manager for Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions.

Nancy Jennings, an instructor at National American University's Ellsworth campus, said she and her colleagues would be there. "It is important that we show our support for the military, for the base, and South Dakota's economic future," Jennings said.

Ron Kaminski of the International Laborers Union of North America said union members will be at the hearing Tuesday. "There are about 75 members who work at the base," he said. "We are concerned about their jobs, the loss of revenue for the community and the security of the United States," he said.

Jim McKeon, president of the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce, said there has been an "amazing" response from the community and that the chamber has received numerous calls from businesses and organizations planning to attend the hearing.

"Everyone has been supportive about sending folks," he said.

The hearing will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. The Ellsworth Task Force is hoping to fill the 9,500 seats in the civic center and have 20,000 people along the motorcade route. The doors to the civic center will open at 11:30 a.m.

"We want people to come early," McKeon said.

Contact Celeste Calvitto at 394-8438 or celeste.calvitto@rapidcityjournal.com